Roku’s checked guide supports the screen reader on listed products in the United States. It can speak native navigation, and an enabled shortcut uses four quick Star presses. Settings > Accessibility > Screen reader also provides the control and related preferences.
Confirm product and viewer requirements
Record the exact Roku product, software and region. The checked guide explicitly limits its listed support to the United States, so the same availability should not be promised globally. Older material may call the feature Audio Guide.
Ask which viewer needs spoken navigation and which tasks matter: reaching an app, understanding a focused item or returning to Home. Keep useful assistance available while making changes. A spoken native app tile is only the beginning of an app accessibility check.
Set the reader and its shortcut deliberately
Use the native settings to separate the reader’s current state from permission to toggle it with the remote.
- Open Settings > Accessibility > Screen reader on an eligible product.
- Choose the intended on/off state.
- Compare the available speech-rate sample and confirm the chosen rate.
- Adjust the screen-reader volume relative to TV sound as needed.
- Choose whether the four-Star shortcut should remain enabled.
| Function | What to record |
|---|---|
| Native screen reader | The chosen on/off state and useful speech rate. |
| Four-Star shortcut | Enabled or disabled according to the household’s preference. |
| Player options or programme narration | The actual app control or selected track, checked separately. |
Navigate with a predictable example
Move through a harmless native list and note the focused item, its action and position. A grid can require horizontal as well as vertical movement. Select only a known safe destination, then return. Avoid treating repeated rapid button presses as a substitute for identifying where focus has moved.
If the viewer needs the reader but the shortcut causes unintended toggles, disable the shortcut while retaining the desired reader state. If the control is absent on a listed eligible model, follow Roku’s current model-specific software guidance rather than assuming another region’s interface.
Check the player separately
Check the intended player’s list and playback tasks after setting the native reader. Record the exact screen, missing label and app edition for a player-specific question. Keep the viewer’s chosen shortcut and speech preferences in the household record.